Do You Have the Best Grind for Your Venison?

Are your venison burgers tasty and something you love to make, or do they leave something to be desired?

Part of it may be the grind. If it’s from a processor, you can request maybe a more coarse or fine grind to your venison along with the addition of a specific amount of beef or pork fat. That helps give venison, which is naturally lean and nutritious, a bit of moisture and binding.

Weston No. 5 Electric Grinder

But some folks don’t like to add much of anything to venison or have a processor do it. That eliminates your ability to control what goes in and how it’s processed. And that’s all the more reason for processing your own venison at home with the right tools.

After cleaning your deer and reducing the meat to workable chunks, in-home processing is fun. It also can be time-consuming to do it right, so set aside a few hours for good cutting, prep and cleanup. One thing you definitely need is a great set of knives for cutting large pieces, trimming, and removing silver skin. Knives are constructed for different tasks; you wouldn’t use a large butcher knife for trim work on smaller pieces, nor would you use a smaller paring knife to try to break down a hindquarter. Use the right tools for the job.

After trimming, removing silver skin and chunking your venison, set up this great Weston No. 5 Electric Meat Grinder and go to town. It features a 500-watt motor and can grind up to 2 pounds per minute with coarse or fine grinds. It also includes a sausage-stuffing funnel should you want to whip up sausage, brats or any other tasty bits.

Weston Vacuum Sealer Pro 2300

Ground venison is supremely versatile. Freeze it in different size poundages for grilled burgers, maybe a giant pot of chili or spaghetti, etc., and then thaw when needed. This Weston Vacuum Sealer Pro 2300 is a superb investment that will pay off for years with your venison, fish, waterfowl, turkey, veggie and other food sealing needs.

Enjoy these ground venison recipes. We also would like to see some of your ideas for ground venison — Italian dishes, burgers, meatloaf — so drop us a recipe or suggestions at alan.clemons@fwmedia.com